New Delhi: The Economic Survey 2024, presented by Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament today, underscores the Government’s commitment to integrated and sustainable development in rural India. The survey emphasizes a holistic approach to economic betterment through decentralized planning, improved access to credit, women’s empowerment, basic housing, and education.
Enhancing Rural Quality of Life
The Economic Survey reveals notable progress in improving the quality of life in rural areas. Key achievements include:
- The construction of 11.57 crore toilets under the Swachh Bharat Mission- Grameen.
- Provision of tap water connections to 11.7 crore households under the Jal Jeevan Mission as of July 10, 2024.
- The construction of 2.63 crore houses for the poor under the PM-AWAS-Gramin scheme over the past nine years.
In financial inclusion, 35.7 crore RuPay debit cards have been issued under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) as of June 26, 2024. The health sector has also seen improvements, with the establishment of 1.58 lakh sub-centres and 24,935 primary health centres enhancing healthcare access in rural regions.
Modernizing MGNREGS for Efficiency
The survey highlights advancements in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). Efforts to eliminate leakages include the use of geotagging and a shift to a 99.9% electronic payment system. The person-days generated under MGNREGS increased from 265.4 crore in FY 2019-20 to 309.2 crore in FY 2023-24. Women’s participation in the scheme has risen from 54.8% to 58.9% during the same period.
MGNREGS is evolving into an asset creation program for sustainable livelihood diversification, with the share of individual beneficiary works on personal land rising from 9.6% in FY 2014 to 73.3% in FY 2024.
Fostering Rural Entrepreneurship
The government continues to bolster rural entrepreneurship through various schemes:
- The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM).
- The Lakhpati Didis initiative.
- The Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY).
These initiatives enhance livelihood generation and facilitate easier access to finance in rural areas.
Advancing Rural Governance through Digitization
Digitization efforts such as e-Gram SWARAJ, the SVAMITVA Scheme, and Bhu-Aadhaar are improving rural governance. Under the SVAMITVA Scheme, drone surveys of 2.90 lakh villages have been completed, and 1.66 crore property cards have been issued. Additionally, a 200% increase in rural internet subscriptions between 2015 and 2021 is expected to bridge the gap between villages and administrative centers, fostering regional development.
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